Yesterday, Wednesday, it just snowed and snowed, all day long. Did it amount to anything, not really. In between each snow shower, the temperature rose and started thawing what had fallen. The snowflakes were huge, but it took a long time before they were sticking. I’m a child still at heart and love the snow, well, for a couple of days anyway! I love to see the garden totally transformed into a white wilderness, that doesn’t often happen here in the SW of the UK, 2010 was the most snow that we have ever had, if you would like to see those photos click here.
From the warmth of the conservatory looking towards the woodland.
As you can see, the covering of snow is not very deep, even by 4pm.
Looking towards the alpine scree
Watching the local news last night it was obvious that we had got off very lightly.
Looking towards the gravel area at the back.
In Cornwall and Devon, villages were cut off, travellers were having to sleep on the floors of village halls & sheep to be rescued from snow drifts.
From the dining room window looking towards the woodland.
Dartmoor and Exmoor were the two worst hit areas here. The prison on Dartmoor was cut off, along with the village nearby of Princetown.
From the side window of the dining room looking up towards the circular lawn, bog garden and pond.
People were all complaining they couldn’t get to their favourite supermarkets and village shops were running out of bread and milk!
Almost the same view from the kitchen side window.
Eastwards from us, from Honiton to the Blackdown Hills, roads were blocked due to cars skidding on the roads and ending up all over the place.
Box balls in the front garden
I have now ventured out to see what I could photograph for you, first stop was to see the box balls, now looking as though they had been iced!
Rhododendron
The rhododendron buds are tightly shut against the cold, the snow isn’t going to worry them.
Acer by the woodland.
This is the Acer that turns orange in the autumn, just by the archway into the woodland, I like the way trunks and branches make patterns when sprinkled with snow.
Bridge into woodland.
Had to watch my step as I crossed the bridge over the drainage ditch into the woodland. It does have a cover of chicken wire to stop anyone slipping but of course that had been covered.
Fern in the woodland
Even the most ordinary plant can be transformed by a sprinkling of snow. I would usually walk past this fern without giving it a second glance, but it is transformed into such a lovely pattern.
Galanthus Atkinsii and anemone centred Hellebore
I was surprised to see these flowers still standing upright, usually both varieties of plants flop as soon as the temperature drops to near freezing.
Snow laden Phormium
Looking a bit different to the other day when I photographed Phormium Yellow Wave for GBFD! I don’t think its doing much waving at the moment!
Ophiopogon in the gravel area.
Still in the gravel area in the back is the spreading clump of Ophiopogon planiscapus nigrescens. Most of it is covered in snow but some has been protected by the overhanging Pittosporum Irene Patterson.
Poor Pauline!
Iris reticulata Pauline didn’t time her opening very well, she is absolutely covered in snow, hope she survives. Even if this flower doesn’t, there are plenty of buds to follow.
Cornus in the snow.
I was hoping to get photos of the red stems of Cornus alba sibirica Westonbirt, which are planted up the drive, with lots of snow on them but…….
Just a sprinkling of snow.
…….but this was the best I could do, not much is it!!
It was then time to go back inside, the little light there was, was fading and my fingers and toes were freezing! We do realise how lucky we are to have missed the worst of the snow but I do love to see the garden looking so different for a short time. Today, Thursday, the sun is shining, there is no wind and the snow is rapidly vanishing, soon be back to normal with just the floods to cope with!
A magical tour Pauline. We had snow too yesterday – unpredicted but although it snowed for a good part of the day it did not settle. What a difficult job farmers have in these conditions. I spotted a squirrel baffler in one of your photos. Does it do the job? We have one (a different shape to yours) but it does not deter the most tenacious of squirrels.
Anna, I think the squirrels have given up at last, but it took a long time. To start with I didn’t put it high enough and the squirrel was able to jump on top from on the paving! When I moved it higher, the squirrel found the rubber ring that the cone sits on and chewed about half of the ring away. I thought , surely I can outwit a squirrel! I soaked some material in tabasco sauce and tied it over the remnants of the rubber ring and the squirrels now leave it alone. They still climb the metal pole and try to reach for the feeders round the edge of the cone, but they can’t reach, thank goodness. I’ve seen them up the silver birch which isn’t far away, trying to decide whether to jump or not, but as soon as they climb onto a branch, it bends right down, they then try climbing onto the roof above the kitchen window, seeing if they can jump from there, but give up again. I think I have won!!!
Apparently you have snow coming and going on your command, haven’t you? 🙂
I watched the pictures of 2010 snow: incredible! And that robin really took food from your hand?
I shall learn the lesson and plant more plants for winter interest, like in your garden. Now I’ve cut the grasses and my garden looks like Hiroshima. Depressing.
I don’t quite command the weather Alberto, wish I did, then I would stop all the rain that we have had!!
Yes, the robin came each day to feed from my hand, not content with what I put out for the other birds, he had to have his own special rations! He followed me round the garden wherever I went when I was working, just as well that I always had sunflower seeds in my pocket, he had me well trained!
I will be cutting my grasses down next month I think, they might get too cold if I cut them down now, but we both know that it won’t be long before they are shooting up again don’t we?!
I have become aware of more and more of your garden in recent posts, Pauline, as different parts have been making themselves known – fewer flowering plants to distract us from the basic structure! I will go back and have a look at your older posts to see the 2010 snow – we have to take it as it comes I suppose, unless we want to up sticks and live somewhere where the weather is less unpredicatable, but I for one am not going anywhere! I am quite content with our temperate climate, despite its surprises, as I guess you are.
I agree with you Cathy, would hate to live somewhere where it is just hot and dry or hot and wet. I really enjoy our 4 seasons and all the changes they bring, even when the weather doesn’t suit us, it seems to suit the plants! We are so lucky in this country, we can gather together plants from all around the world and manage to grow them here, even if some of them have to be in pots and brought in for the winter.
Hello from Canada, Pauline. I started following your blog as a snowdrop lover who lives in a country desolate of any but the most common galanthus. Your garden provides glimpses of not only your many varieties of my favourite flower but of all the other winter flowers that give us gardeners in colder climates hope that spring will indeed come again soon. Seeing the structure and design of your garden all frosted with new fallen snow is inspirational. We live on the West Coast and have a similar climate to you, little snow, gone too quickly, but leaving our winter treasures intact for the most part (I did lose a prize fragrant rhododenron one particularly bad year). Thank you for sharing your knowledge and beautiful photos. With your posts arriving to my inbox and all the seed catalogues now showing up by Canada Post, winter is that much easier to enjoy. Cheers!
Hello Jackie, lovely to hear from someone from the far side of Canada, some of the plants that we have in the woodland garden here are from your part of the world, lovely little woodland treasures! We are lucky with all our different varieties of snowdrops, collecting them can become quite addictive!! In spite of the colder weather that we have been having lately, lots of new growth is starting to come through the mulch in the woodland, so soon it should be looking very pretty, we just need it to be a couple of degrees warmer, which the weathermen tell us will be coming this weekend. Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a message, I look forward to hearing from you again, would love to hear about all your spring plants when they come through!
Hi Pauline,
Glad it didn’t hang around long for you. Wish we were as lucky… Although we’re due yet more on Friday evening/night but thankfully Saturday lots of rain to finally wash it all away and a long overdue sharp rise in temperatures for next week.
Liz, I spoke too soon, the temperature dropped and in spite of the sun being out today it has obviously been freezing because most of the snow is still here! Hopefully the temperatures will rise this weekend and thaw your deep snow, just hope we don’t get floods everywhere!!
It is nice to see the longer views of your garden. It certainly is magical with the dusting of snow. Our snow didn’t last long either but more very cold weather is forecast. Christina
The snow is still with us Christina due to the temperatures falling to zero! Warmer weather is due at the weekend, so we will just have to wait and see what happens. I hope you stay warm when your cold spell arrives!
Pauline, your gardens are lovely in all seasons. Hope the snow leaves you alone soon. We’re expecting a mix of snow and freezing rain that will make things dangerous for tonight, but it shouldn’t stay around long. Stay warm! /susie
Thanks Susie, you’re very kind! Heavy rain today here so the snow is rapidly disappearing thank goodness although the rest of the country is still suffering. Hope you have it warmer soon too.
What a lovely snowy tour of your garden as Christina said, it is good to get so many distance views.
Not much snow cover, but it was the best we could do! I think distance views give a better picture of the garden as a whole, rather than lots of close ups, but of course there weren’t many flowers to photograph in close up!!
I like to see some snow at some point over winter. I think I’d rather have it than the incessant rain we’ve got at the moment. Did you see the TV programme about the winter of 1963? It makes you wonder how we’d cope nowadays in the same conditions.
I love how snow completely changes a scene and the landscape. And I love the red branches of your Cornus with their dusting of the white stuff.
I did see the Programme WW, and I remember that winter so well. We lived on Merseyside at the time and there were icebergs floating down the Mersey!! There wasn’t the same amount of traffic in those days and most goods went by rail, so I don’t remember too much disruption, today it would be complete chaos!
The garden did look pretty for a couple of days but I have to admit that I’m glad it is gone for now.